Quote: amber morgan

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how long does the dog have to have been eating a certain ingredient before you can be reasonably sure that it's not going to be an allergy of the "repeated exposure" type?

1. You can't know that. If an individual has the immune response (of IgE-mediated food reactions), then the individual is prone to food allergies. Always reserve some accessible novel proteins. (Reserve = never give to the dog; hold in reserve.)

There are many reactions to foods that are not true allergies, of course, involving no IgE antibodies: food “sensitivities” and “intolerances.”

2. The phrase "of the repeated exposure type" is kind of meaningless because food allergies ARE "of the repeated exposure type." Period. The individual must have digested the food before for the setup to have happened for an allergic response. (I described that in detail recently. Maybe I can find the post.)

I hope I answered you. If you meant how long does the dog have to be on an elimination diet before you know that the offending food is out of the system, that's individual and also controversial, but I'm pretty sure that you'd usually see improvement within ten days and complete improvement within some weeks - some say three and some say six. A few think as long as twelve.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

The individual must have digested the food before for the setup to have happened for an allergic response. (I described that in detail recently. Maybe I can find the post.)

Here it is:

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=220831&Searchpage=3&Main=21749&Words=Connie+Sutherland&topic=0&Search=true#Post220877

Okay...I get it. I was confused because I thought you were saying that Andrew would be adding in NEW ingredients (that the dog has never had before) in which case, I didn't see how we could be sure in a few days if said food was going to be a problem. But you meant that he was adding in previously eaten ingredients, right? To find which one(s) is/are the culprits?

About the repeated exposure thing: I have allergies (environmental) and singularly, I don't have reactions. A small amount on its own wouldn't cause me a problem, or even an isolated big burst of exposure as long as it was below my threshold.

My allergist described my tolerance as a water glass. I'm symptom-free as long as that glass doesn't get full. Once it's full to the brim, a single drop can overflow it and set me off. I'll have reactions more quickly if I get big burst of them, but small amounts that wouldn't normally affect me, over time, causes the same problems as massive initial exposure.

So I guess that's what I was wondering about for dogs, in terms of food or environmental or both at the same time. Could small amounts not cause a problem on their own (so you think the food is "safe") but months later cause a problem? Or only cause a problem if higher amounts or additional allergents are added?

And can you tell the difference between an intolerance/sensitivity vs. allergy without a trip to the vet, or is it only test results that show the difference? For example, would an intolerance cause problems on initial consumption whereas that couldn't happen with an allergy? Or are the symptoms totally different?


Hope I'm still sticking to the OP's general topic. I'll PM you, if you think we're veering off course here.

I pretty much doubt that Andrew's dog has a food allergy. Maybe he has a sensitivity or intolerance to an ingredient in his kibble.

A dog's food allergy CAN trigger his symptoms, but is way more likely to cause skin pruritis/itching.

All is clear now, and you've answered some questions I've had for a long time. I'm now officially smarter than I was this morning. Well, uh, at least more educated. Thanks, Connie.

Good question Amber.

ok so what now? Im thinking keep him on this kibble for a few more weeks like you recomend Connie, but when should i start introducing new food groups to see if mr sensetive can handle them? Is it a case of with hold his morning kibble and replace it with a piece of raw chicken or mince, wait 48 hrs and look for adverese reaction ie loose stool again?

I'm wondering, just out of curiosity, what would cause there to be blood on the poop? You said that the vet didn't care about that? Connie, do you have any thought on that? I ask, because 2 or 3 times I have seen a little blood on the outside of Kasey's stool also - not a lot or bright red, but I wondered if that is alarming at all since we know Kasey's stomach is definitely sensitive too!

Puppies or dogs that are stressed or wormy can have some blood on the poop.
If there is a random occurance of a small amount of blood on the poop I don't worry.
Blood on the poop can also be caused by coccidea, and that will sometimes result in increasing amounts of blood along with loose stool. A heavy cocci load coupled with stress can be fatal (generally in puppies) if not treated with a coccideostat.